The King Spy
by Dutch Angua
Summary: HoND fanfic. A group of criminals are planning to rob a house, when they discover a spy. A very, very strange spy... Please, R


"Close the door!" Gilles snapped to the fair-haired man that just entered the room, "Well?"

"No problems at all." The other man whispered, "But I think Montparnasse should be the last one around Paris, I think the new captain is on to us." He blinked as his eyes grew accustomed to the lack of light.

Gilles ran a hand through his greying hair. "Very well, I daresay we robbed enough houses around here anyway." He smirked, "On to us? After _only _three weeks? Seems like this city watch is still as worthless as when Frollo was still around."

"Yeah," The large man beside him grumbled, "Bastard was too busy with killing Gypsies to go after us."

"Better yet, he blamed _our_ crimes on _them_!" The eight men laughed loudly at this.

Gilles returned his attention to the fair-haired man.

"Speaking of Gypsies, Nicholas." He didn't speak any further. Both men smirked.

"I heard you two killed one last week." A shorter man spoke with a wheezy voice, "I give you ten points for it, but why?" Nicholas nodded.

"He saw us exploring the Renoir's house. He looked as if he knew what we were up to, so we killed him. Not much of a challenge, he was unarmed. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well, he learned his lesson, for the next time." Again, there was a roar of malicious laughter.

"Well, you had your look around the place. How can we get into that mansion best, d'you think?" Gilles asked.

Nicholas opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a large crash from behind them.

Someone had fallen down from the small attic. Before the groaning man had time to get up, he was dragged to his feet by two of Gilles's men.

"Don't kill me!" He pleaded as he tried to struggle free. "Please, don't kill me!" One of the captors pulled his head back by the black hair. The man looked terrified, like a captured animal. His dark eyes swivelled around the room. Gilles approached him cautiously.

"I know you…you're that puppeteer from the square. They call you Clopin, don't they? And be quiet!" He roared at the whimpering man.

Clopin blinked a few times. "All right." He said calmly.

Gilles was slightly taken aback by this sudden change of behaviour, but quickly recovered. "They say you're the Gypsy king, huh?" He smirked, "So has the king become a slave? Did that new captain order you to spy on us?"

Clopin's forehead wrinkled in thought. "Captain? What new captain? Do we have a new one? I didn't even know there were ships coming in lately."

Gilles exchanged a glance with Nicholas.

"Oooooh, wait, _that_new captain!" Clopin exclaimed so sudden that the men jumped. Clopin grinned broadly. "Blond man, tall, yeah I think I know who you mean now. Yes." The Gypsies face turned solemn, as he looked down, as if ashamed. "Yes, alright, I confess. I've been spying on you, for him."

The men fell silent for a moment. Nicholas and Gilles exchanged another glance. Was this man insane?

"For how long now?" He croaked.

"Ah, errr let's see, a couple of days now, I guess." Clopin replied, looking deep in thought again. "Been hiding on that little attic over there. Nice place. Cosy. Lots of bats to keep me company too." Clopin's face splitting grin appeared again. "You have to admit it's a good place, you never even noticed I was there!" He said, happy as a little boy who's done a clever trick.

Nicholas couldn't help but smirk. "Yes, it was a good place…unless you fall off."

Clopin gave a nervous, slightly embarrassed laugh. "That would have been rather stupid. Fall off the attic whilst spying, that would have given away the whole business."

Gilles raised an eyebrow. "_Would_ have been? _If_ you were spying? It _would _have been stupid?"

"Oh yes." Clopin smiled, "If I had been spying."

"You said you were spying!" Nicholas roared. "What is this?!"

"No," Clopin explained patiently, "I said I _had _been spying. I never said I was spying _now_."

"Then what the hell are you doing here?!" Gilles had lost his patience with the Gypsy. "SPEAK!"

Clopin's smile faded. He narrowed his eyes and looked around, conspiratorially. Then he looked at Gilles from the corners of his eyes. "Do you want to know?"

"Yes!"

"Are you sure?"

"Speak man!"

"Alright. I am…"

Gilles had to lean down now to hear the whisper.

"I am…"

"What?"

"I'm a…" Clopin's voice was barely audible now.

"Tell me."

Within a fraction of a second, the broad grin flashed back on Clopin's face.

"I'm a diversion!" He exclaimed happily.

"WHAT?" Too late the men noticed the crash as the door was forced open. A dozen of soldiers stormed in to arrest the robbers. Gilles looked back at the captured Gypsy. With an evil smirk, Clopin thrust back his elbows into his captors's stomachs. As they buckled, he straightened up and planted his elbows into their necks, knocking them unconscious.

With a scream of anger Gilles fought off a soldier. He tried to make his way to the door, the only exit, but the blond captain had barricaded it. With a roar of frustration, he grabbed his dagger and lunged forward to stab the man he thought responsible for this downfall.

Clopin grabbed the man's wrist, his mouth still in the evil smirk, yet his eyes shining without a trace of humour in them. "Oh yes, I forgot to mention." He whispered. "I also happen to be one of the better street fighters around this place." He tightened his grip on the wrist. Gilles yelped in pain and dropped the dagger.

"And there's one thing that street fighters and criminals like you have in common." He seized the robber's collar. "We don't bother to fight fair." Clopin pulled the man so close that their noses almost touched.

"This one's for Thomas" He hissed.

He forcefully jerked up his knee.


End file.
